Carer
by Rellik 01011993
Summary: Reid is sick and Morgan stops by to check on him.
1. Chapter 1

Morgan knocked on Reid's door early on Saturday morning. Boy Wonder had been missing from work all week. Though the medical certificate was enough to pacify Hotch, Morgan needed to see the young genius to convince himself the kid was ok. He didn't stop to think about _why_ he needed to check on the kid.

The door swung open slowly to reveal Reid, wearing only a pair of sweatpants. The kid was obviously not well, but it still took a moment for Morgan to force his attention away from the six-pack. He'd never seen Reid in anything less than his 'teacher uniform' and hadn't considered what might be hidden beneath the meek outfits.

"Morgan?" Reid was obviously surprised. "What are you doing here?" he stepped back to allow Morgan to enter his home. "Is there a case?"

Morgan shook his head as he stepped into Reid's home. The others had visited for various reasons, but in an attempt to offer him some privacy Morgan had never been to Reid's place. The fact that Reid thought a case would bring Morgan to his home made the older man grit his teeth.

"You're not well at the moment kid, so even if there was a case I wouldn't tell you about it. I came to see if you're doing ok, to see if there's anything I can do to help." Morgan watched him closely, not sure how he would take this.

Reid stared at the older agent in shock. "Oh…um…I'm ok, thank you for checking on me." He gave Morgan an awkward smile. At least Derek knew about his social awkwardness, he would understand and not be offended.

Morgan smiled and shook his head. "And is there anything I can do to help?" he reminded Reid of his offer gently.

Reid bit his lip uncertainly. "I don't…I'm not…I'm not sure. No one's ever…" he grimaced and turned to make his way to the couch. Answering the door and the few moments of standing was enough to tire him out.

Morgan felt anger rising but couldn't stop it. "What do you mean no one has ever offered to help you? You go out of your way to make life easier for everyone else and no one has ever thought to return that favour?" he grumbled, following Reid to the couch. He knew the kid liked his personal space, but seemed to forget that fact for a moment when he fell onto the couch so close they were almost touching. Reid's eyes widened but he couldn't move away as he was trapped between the arm of the chair and Morgan's muscled body. "Do you want me to make you a cup of coffee?"

Reid shook his head slowly. "No, thank you, but tea would be wonderful." At Morgan's shocked expression, he explained. "When I'm sick, I don't drink coffee at all. Tea only."


	2. Chapter 2

Morgan made his way into the kitchen, his mind running over Reid's appearance, trying to reassure himself that it was just a cold. But he couldn't shake the feeling that is was something more than that. The kid was always pale, but now there was a greyish undertone. He was always skinny but never usually seemed to weak. And he hadn't spouted any statistics, which Morgan had seen him do in the past with things as bad as pneumonia. Something was seriously wrong, he was sure of it. He just hoped he could get Reid to let him know what was happening.

He found a box of teabags sitting on the kitchen bench and a clean cup by the kettle. While he waited for the water to boil, he decided to check what else the Boy Wonder had. He might enjoy some chicken soup if he had some. What Morgan found had him gritting his teeth. No fresh food whatsoever, and not even any of the pre-packaged stuff the kid usually seemed to survive on.

The fact that he hadn't thought to reach out to one of the team and ask them to pick things up for him had Morgan cursing every person in Reid's past. That he didn't even _think_ to ask for help made his stomach clench. The water finished boiling and he took the cup of tea back out to Reid, the happy smile on the kid's face making Morgan feel like a saviour when all he had done so far was make tea.

"Reid, you wanna tell me why there's no food in your kitchen?" Morgan asked, deliberately keeping his voice soft. If Reid felt someone thought he had been stupid, Morgan knew he had a habit of refusing to respond at all.

He took a sip of his tea before answering, sighing happily as he leant back in the couch. "I was due to go shopping when I got sick, given my history I thought a doctor appointment more pertinent than groceries. I've been ordering take-away though, so don't worry."

Morgan smiled at Reid, only the kid could think that take-away would reassure someone when they were worrying about his health. "I'll head out in a while and buy some food, _proper_ food. Did the doc tell you what's up?" he asked curiously. Some medical things he knew Reid wouldn't discuss, but oftentimes he was quite open about his health.

Reid nodded slowly, taking another slow sip of tea before looking back at Morgan. He could tell he was unwilling to answer, but not because he thought it a private matter. "It started as a cold, but by the time I got to the doctor it had morphed into a chest infection. Given that my lungs are…not the best anymore, I wasn't able to fight it off myself. He put me on some antibiotics with instructions to phone in every other day."

Morgan bit back a curse. "Because of the plague? You never told any of us that you had any aftereffects from it…" his eyebrows lifted, wondering why Reid hadn't told them. They would have kept a closer eye on him, tried to keep him from getting sick or working himself to the bone when he was.

Reid shrugged, staring at his hands. "I didn't want you all to worry, because you would have. Hotch would have insisted that I take even more time off while I finished my breathing therapy. Everyone would have tried to keep me out of the field, even though I'm cleared to work."

Morgan scowled at his friend for a moment, hating that he'd kept this from him. "Are you even really meant to be home alone while you have this chest infection?" he asked slowly, hoping Reid would let him in. Let him help.

"The doctor arranged the phone check-ins. If I miss one, he'll call me and if I still don't answer he'll send an ambulance. It's fine Morgan, lots of people cope with illness this way."

"Those people don't have anyone who can help Reid. All you had to do was call me and I'd have been here in a heartbeat man." He didn't understand how Reid could be so open to their friendship, but never call on his help when he needed it.

He watched as confusion filled the Boy Wonder's eyes. "But you had plans the weekend I got sick, and then you had work…I didn't want to bother you."

Morgan shook his head, smiling sadly at Reid. "You are _not_ a bother! And as for asking for my help when I have plans…do you really think there is any plan in the world that I wouldn't cancel if you needed help?"


	3. Chapter 3

Reid smirked up at Morgan. "Plans you wouldn't cancel? I don't know…some of your dates? Definitely family holidays." Reid had heard the older agent speak of his family often enough to know that he loved his mother and sisters beyond measure, and was equally terrified of them.

Morgan shook his head, pushing at Reid's shoulder to make him sit back on the couch. "I'd cancel any date in a heartbeat for you. You've gotta know you're more important to me than any date…you do know that, right?" Reid's reassuring nod was too slow in coming for Morgan's liking so he sat down beside him, probably closer than he usually would but he needed proximity, needed to reassure himself that Reid was going to be ok. "Reid, you are far more important that any date, meeting or family get together. Though I would have to take a second to call and let my ma know I wasn't coming."

Reid smiled at his friend. "Even so, what were you going to do? There's nothing _to do_ except lie around and wait for it to pass." He insisted softly. "Why would I interrupt your life just so you can sit around here while I'm miserable company?"

Morgan groaned, leaning his head back on the couch. "Because, Boy Wonder, sometimes it's nice to have someone take care of you. Not have to get up because you're thirsty, not have to answer the door for take-away, because someone's making you home-cooked meals instead. Sometimes it's nice to just sit back and let someone else handle it all."

Reid frowned in confusion; he remembered his mother doing those things when he was little, but no one else had even tried since he was a small child so he didn't understand why Morgan would now. "But…why would you want to do that? Wouldn't you rather just leave me to it? I've got it all down to a particular routine, you really don't have to take care of me Morgan."

He watched in shock as Morgan launched out of the couch and started pacing. "I want to do it because I want to take care of you Reid. I want to know that when you need help you'll actually remember that you can reach out a hand and I'll be here. That you'll remember you don't have to do things alone, not anymore. I want to take care of you because then I'd know that you're _taken care of_ while you're ill."

Reid blinked slowly at him as his pacing slowed to a stop and he stood there staring at the genius. "But…teammates don't usually…do they?" Reid asked slowly, loath to admit another gap in his understanding of the social world he didn't often participate in.

Morgan smiled sitting back down beside the kid. "Teammates…not so much. Parents, very close friends…lovers; people who are very close like to be given the chance to take care of the people they love." He explained softly. He knew how uncomfortable Reid was with pointing out what he didn't understand of social norms, and he was always pleased when the kid came to him with a question about it. It showed him how much he was trusted.

Reid nodded slowly. "People who are close. Okay, I'll let you know in future if I'm too ill to take care of myself." Just as a smile tugged at Morgan's lips Reid turned a serious gaze on him. " _But_ , no babying me, if I say I'm well enough to do something, it's up to me."

Morgan nodded, content with that arrangement for now. "You've got yourself a deal kid. Now, is there anything in particular you feel like eating? I'm gonna head out and get some groceries so I can make us dinner."

Reid shook his head, tucking his feet up on the couch and leaning against the armrest. "No, whatever's easiest." He answered, eyes slipping closed. Morgan took the cup of tea out of his hand and set it on the coffee table before turning back to look Reid over. The kid had fallen asleep sitting up, his neck at a funny angle where he had his head propped against his hand.

Morgan watched him for a moment before shaking his head. Picking the kid up and shifting him down the couch so he could lie down was easier than it should have been; he'd lost weight since he'd been off from work. Morgan made a mental not to pick up some junk food in the hopes that the kid might graze on the stuff between meals.

He left a note on the coffee table to let Reid know he'd gone out for groceries and he'd be back; he knew the kid would jump to the conclusion that he'd decided to leave him to it after-all, and he didn't want the kid thinking that. Snagging Reid's keys on the way out so he wouldn't have to wake him when he got back, he quietly let himself out of the apartment.

There was a small grocery store within walking distance that Reid liked to support, Morgan couldn't quite remember the story Reid had told him about the family but he knew the kid had a soft spot for them. He was half way there when his phone started belting out a chirpy tune that was designated to Garcia.

"Hey Baby Girl, what's up?"

"I just wanted to know how our Junior G Man is. Is he alright Morgan? Are you taking good care of him?" her worry carried easily through the phone, and if it hadn't her complete lack of flirting would have been a pretty good indicator.

"Now how did you know I was going to see Pretty Boy today? I know you're omniscient, but that's usually limited to our cases…" he teased. She knew he only teased when things were alright, or going to be alright.

He heard a deep sigh and could practically _feel_ her rolling her eyes at him. "Come on now Derek, don't be so _dense_. You're in love with Spencer and you like to protect him. Of course you would go to take care of him now that we're off work. Plus, when you know he's not well, there's only a certain amount of time you seem to be able to stay away from him. You reached that two days ago and that's why you were so snippy at the end of the case."

Morgan stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, eyes wide. "Garcia…did you just say that I'm _in love_ with Reid?" he asked, voice tight. Much to his surprise, the statement didn't make him angry. He was more shocked at how when it seemed to cover everything that had been bothering him lately.

"Derek Morgan don't you go freaking out on me! You love him, and that's fine, none of us think badly of you for it. In fact, as long as you don't break our Junior G Man's heart, we're all for it. You both deserve to be happy, and if that happiness comes from each other all the better. I know you've been figuring it out for yourself but…you needed a little shove to cover the last of the distance."

Morgan shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. "More like you were getting impatient and decided I needed to hurry up, huh?" he teased, starting to walk again. "Reid is alright, considering. I'm headed to the grocery store so he has some actual food in his apartment."

Garcia groaned on the other end of the phone. "Derek Morgan, I know perfectly well that Reid is going to be ok, otherwise you wouldn't have answered the phone. Are you going to tell me when you plan on telling him you're in love with him?"

Morgan grinned. "I'm not telling you that, I might jinx myself!" he chuckled. "I gotta go Baby Girl, food to buy and things to do." He hung up before she could convince him otherwise.


End file.
